In the last years Non-surgical brain stimulation (NIBS) It has emerged as a new treatment option in the treatment of substance use disorders. Preliminary studies have confirmed the effectiveness of this method in treating withdrawal disorders, but little is known about its long-term effectiveness. Until now.
Researchers at Dijon University Hospital performed a meta-analysis of the data in order to assess Efficacy of NIBS in long-term smoking cessation. In the work published in the journal “Addiction”, seven different studies were considered, in which a total of 699 people participated.
The risk ratio for continued abstinence from any form of NIBS versus placebo NIBS was 2.39, indicating that Smokers who got NIBS were 2.39 times more likely to have long-term tobacco abstinence compared to smokers who got NIBS placebo.. The risk was higher for different types of NIBS or for stimulating certain parts of the brain.
Although our review appears modest with only seven studies, the level of confidence is low and the differences between studies are large, the results appear to be robust and we can confidently suggest that NIBS is an interesting technique for short-term and permanent smoking cessation. . In addition, we have identified several research studies that are currently being carried out in this field. In the near future, NIBS may be seen as a promising new option to help people who want to quit smoking, said Dr. Benjamin Petty, the study’s lead author.
It is worth noting that the two most commonly used types of NIBS are the so-called Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) And Transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS). In the case of tDCS, a low-intensity direct current is sent to the brain via electrodes placed on the patient’s scalp, which modulates the excitability of neurons. On the other hand, TMS uses a metal coil that is placed next to the patient’s scalp. The coil generates magnetic pulses that lead to short-range electrical currents in the cerebral cortex. Depending on the frequency of the impulses, the excitability of the target area increases or decreases.
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